Crowded Exit
"Mom! Look! That woman is crawling over the barrier on the overpass!" It was a weekend in July and I was with my youngest daughter and her two children at the fast food drive-up window where we had a clear view of the overpass on I-205. My daughter's agitated voice jerked my attention away from the baby in the back seat. I scanned through the windshield in the direction her hand was waving. "Awwwoooh!" was my response as my eye caught the movement of the leg of a woman as she straddled the railing. I began rifling through my purse seeking my cell phone while still keeping my eye on the scene. Where was that cell phone? Then a man drew our attention. He was walking slowly toward the woman with one hand stretched in her direction. I recognized him immediately. He was one of several panhandlers we've seen guarding the end of the off ramp at that location. Although we couldn't hear their voices, we could tel...